CompUSA employee incompetence
I was in CompUSA today checking out the new PowerMacs when I hear someone saying <annoyed voice> I don't know how to print from this computer! </annoyed voice>
I look at the aisle over and an employee has 4 or 5 people crowded around an iMac trying to print a picture from iPhoto (to show off the Epson printer next to it, not the iMac).
So I walked over, "click 'share,' now click 'print.'" Geez. <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
I look at the aisle over and an employee has 4 or 5 people crowded around an iMac trying to print a picture from iPhoto (to show off the Epson printer next to it, not the iMac).
So I walked over, "click 'share,' now click 'print.'" Geez. <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
Comments
CompUSA is infamous for (in pre-OSX days) having the hard drive renamed to something like "';;'''''asdfsdf" or "MACS SUCK!!!" and having the System Folder dumped in the Trash.
I have constantly found the employees to be complete imbeciles when working with Macs, often discouraging people from buying them.
<strong>When the Chimp USA monkeys come ask me if i need help. I always respond with "yes you can.....don't help me"</strong><hr></blockquote>
What's their reply when you say that?
I haven't been to one in months, but I remember there being a time (during the fruity iMac era, in particular) where there was just this wave of dumbassness that saturated every part of the store.
Everytime I'd go (this is before the Apple retail stores, so your choices were limited), it would never fail that I'd hear lies, mistated facts, spec mangling, myths, distortions, personal opinions presented as "facts", etc. by various CompUSA people.
I've stood and watched people be talked out of a grape iMac DV and into PC. I've heard salesmen say "yeah, but Macs can't run Microsoft Office" (as recently as this spring!!!), "you can't use different mice with Macs...you have to use the one it comes with...", "Macs break a lot..." (meanwhile, you glance back at the repair bench and EVERYTHING in the repair room is a PC), etc.
I've "rescued" my fair share of people from this, but I've also - out of lack of time and simply not being in the mood - have backed off and just let this crap go on. It would bother me a little, on the way home.
In the same way you wouldn't want me selling air compressor and welders (and trying to explain all about them, when I know NOTHING about them), it's also not cool to have Macs be represented by people who a) know nothing about them or b) actively hate them and look for every opportunity they have to kill a sale.
<img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
Not cool.
I never worry about myself (I always know the models, specs, prices, features, etc. better than any salesman I've ever dealt with has), but it bums me out to see soccer moms or senior citizens getting the runaround and be fed all this crap. They don't know any better and they'll believe anything an employee says.
The one thing I've noticed is that the location of the store plays a big part. Some locations are great, clean and the employee's are knowledgeable and the computers and other hardware are all running nice and are accessible.
The CompUSA in Manhattan is the worst (the 5th Ave location). The entire store is run by Ghetto Trash who can't even speak decent English. You'd think they'd be nice and pleasant to deal with to compensate. One time I asked if they had the new Kensington Optical Mouse out yet. The reply I got was, "I don't know, look where the other mices are at". So I said, "can you tell me where the other mices are at?" <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
All the PDAs are either broken, uncharged or missing parts. PCs and Macs extremely tempered with and could use a nice reboot to get things back in order (for a possible buyer). All the new iMacs are filthy which I am sure might scare people away. The PC and Mac LCDs have fingerprints ALL over them. The worst thing is, not one Mac or PC is hooked up to the f.ucking internet!
How do I deal with it all? I tell potential buyers (whether they are for Mac or PC) to go home or back to the office and go to warehouse.com for a better deal and no TAX. They usually have a gleam in their eye, thank me several times and dart out the door, back to the office to make the purchase. I tell them that stores like CompUSA are only to demo the product, never to buy it here. F.uck CompUSA!
If Apple had a retail store here in Portland, I'd be working there for sure.
To be honest they usually just look at me strange and walk away.
It's retail people. Employees have to have a reason to care, and job satisfaction ain't it. Offer sales-people a sweet commission on Apple sales, and you'd see a quick turnaround. Back in high-school, working the electronics sales, my brother always moved the product with the best dealer incentive. They're there to make money, period. Selling a mac doesn't produce an instant benefit on their paychecks, so why bother. At the end of the holiday season it's the size of my paycheck that counts, not Apple's. That's the attitude and it's the right one. If Apple doesn't step up, the sales force has no reason to do it for them.
That chuckle head over at Macnet (John, let me lick the crusts off Steve's ass, Manzione) recently wrote (what in his deluded mind he considers an op-ed piece) about a negative APPLE STORE experience.
Get a grip. You were expecting a good experience? About the only thing I expect from retail is that the stores honor warrantees, and not give me the run-around when there's a problem with their product.
Just about every retail endeavor I've ever seen begins with a very bright eyed optimism. We're going to be different, customer service, employee loyalty, high standards, yadda yadda yadda... It ALWAYS falls flat after a year or two, max. Companies invariably decide to go with a cheaper minimum wage/part-time sales staff once the store gets a bit of momentuum. They'll justify it on the grounds of 'competitive' wages, but then you look around and realize that all over the retail business 'competitive' wages have produced a sales force that largely doesn't give a damn. I don't recall treating any high-school (and most of the college) work I ever had with anything more than contempt. Customers could kiss my ass. If I was on a break, I was on a break. If you didn't like my attitude, sorry, here's my manager's name and the next time they'll be in the store, you can take it up with him. Fired? See you down the hall at the next dime a dozen job.
IF Apple really wants to keep the Apple stores up, they'll have a well paid full time staff and a healthy commission/incentive package. If they were interested in having their products well represented they'd have better deas for their 3rd party retailers too. They don't, so they get what thye get. I'd be very surprised if Apple stores maintained a high level of service over the next 2-3 years. It's not Apple's fault, that's just the way retail goes. The best they can hope for is to hire some bad-ass task master regional managers to scare the snot out of local staff and keep the minimum wage high-school weenies they inevitable hire on their toes.
<strong>You must know nothing about the Apple Store's wages and pay package. They are more than just "competitive."</strong><hr></blockquote>
Care to explain?
I dunno, the compusa near my home never had any serious problems in the mac section, when I went there were many people at the mac side as well as the pc side and no employee pushing the customer to the dark side... eh whatever... though my friend did get screwed when he bought a pc laptop from them...
[ 09-08-2002: Message edited by: popstar92 ]</p>
[ 09-09-2002: Message edited by: BrianMacOS ]</p>
Apple should pull its products from a Store like Compusa just because of the general environment. <hr></blockquote>
Maybe, but I would think that a bad idea. Don't really know the situation in the US, but here, aww, I have to travel quite a bit until I reach the closest shop (live in a 'city' with about 120.000 people), and then, in that shop (say, 40 miles from here in another city), I can't really return after I got into this discussion with the salesclown and he said he "didn't have time for all this bullshit, goddamnit" (translated quite literally).
Of course, these incompetent schmucks are maybe even worse if you want to sell your stuff.
<strong>Apple should pull its products from a Store like Compusa just because of the general environment. If Local computer shops want to carry them they should require some kind of certification to even have them so Apple gives customers a good preview of what Apple products can do and not have some sales person saying well it has this, this and this.
[ 09-09-2002: Message edited by: BrianMacOS ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
That wouldn't be good because so many "average" computer buyers go to CompUSA and even if the salesmen are complete idiots, seeing the Macs there could get Macs into the customers heads which could lead to them buying a Mac instead of a PC.